This morning, I was doing my normal click-through of my
favorite news blogs when I found this interesting blurb, "Push
to Classify Internet Addiction As a Mental Disorder". My first reaction was
"that's silly", but I couldn't put the thought out of my head. People can
become addicted to so many things: gambling, drinking, shopping, etc. Why not
the Internet, too?
It's estimated that 71% of the U.S .population has access to
the Internet. According to the Stanford University School of Medicine, Internet
addiction affects about 1% of the United States population. But how
do you know if you're addicted? And is spending lots of time on-line really a
problem?
In the Beginning
In 1996, Kimberly S. Young, of the University
of Pittsburg at Bradford,
presented a paper to the American Psychological Association (APA). Her study,
"Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder", based
"addiction" on the following eight questions:
- Do
you feel preoccupied with the Internet?
- Do
you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order
to achieve satisfaction?
- Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop
Internet use?
- Do
you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down
or stop Internet use?
- Do
you stay on-line longer than originally intended?
- Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant relationship, job,
educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?
- Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of
involvement with the Internet?
- Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from
problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness,
guilt, anxiety, and depression)?
According to Young, answering "yes" to five of these
questions qualifies you as being addicted to the Internet. So how did you
score?
Addiction Today
Today, it seems that researchers are trying to refine what
exactly makes people addicted to the Internet. This month's issue of the American
Journal of Psychiatry claims that Internet addiction should be added to the
official guidebook of mental disorders. In their description, they specifically
mention "excessive gaming, sexual pre-occupations, and e-mail/text messaging".
Excessive-gaming is something that I have seen first-hand,
several times. Gaming online is addictive because it's exciting. In online
games, people create a persona that they "become". In this persona, they gain respect
and recognition from other members for being "good" at the game. Essentially,
online gaming creates a parallel life that is more interesting than the
player's actual life.
Similarly, text messaging and emailing allows people to communicate,
gain social acceptance, or meet another type of need. Many people I know say that
they'd rather receive a text-message because talking on the phone is "so
annoying". While that statement may seem silly, think about all the emails that
you send in a day. (Yesterday, I sent 25 - just at work!) Now, out of those
emails, how many were to people that you could just as easily talk to in-person,
especially messages sent to people in your office? Texting and emailing can
become addictive because they make communication so easy. You don't have to worry about interrupting anyone, and the
message can be saved for later.
Who is Addicted?
It may not be that hard to become addicted to the Internet.
Not only is it available via household computers and laptops, but also via cell-phones
and handheld devices. Jennifer Barker, a clinical psychologist and director of
Forest Institute of Professional Psychology's Marriage and Family program,
claims that certain people are more at risk than others.
According to Baker, people who are highly susceptible to Internet
addiction include: people who are intelligent, but bored with their jobs; shy /
socially awkward individuals; people who have difficulty in relationships,
depression, or anxiety; and those with too much unstructured time on their
hands. For many people, the Internet can be "very engaging" and meet a need. I
do not believe that these are the only types of people who are susceptible to Internet
addiction, but I do believe that the list is a good start.
Symptoms
One thing that ties early and current research together is
the claim that Internet addicts may lose track of time, and even neglect eating
and sleeping. Much like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Internet addiction
can become ritualized and repetitive. However, unlike OCD, Young believes that
using the Internet is almost like creating a "high" for the user. When
refraining from the Internet, the user may suffer withdrawal symptoms.
Additionally, other aspects of physical health may also be
affected. Spending too much time staring at a monitor or cell screen can cause
headaches. To make it worse, most people don't have perfect posture while
sitting at the computer. Slouching causes a person's neck to move forward, resulting
in the head moving backward and putting pressure on the base of the skull near
the top vertebrae.
Other physical aliments of Internet addiction include
clenched jaws, putting wrists or thumbs in odd angles to control a mouse,
keyboard, or cell-phone. This can put pressure on nerves and may cause
temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), tendonitis, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
I believe that Internet addiction is real, but I'm not sure
that it should be classified as a mental disorder. A friend said to me, "if it
wasn't the Internet, it would be something else". Maybe this is true. I do think
that the Internet makes it easier for people to communicate because it's so
quick. However, I don't think that it's so
out-there to say that Internet addiction can be mental. In my opinion, when
the Internet gets in the way of face-to-face interpersonal communication, on-line
behavior is more than an addiction.
What do you think?
- Is Internet addiction real?
- According to Young's questions, are you addicted to the Internet?
- Could this addiction be qualified as a mental disorder?
Resources:
http://www.netaddiction.com/articles/newdisorder.pdf
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/17/push-to-classify-internet-addiction-as-a-mental-disorder/
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/18/addiction-internet-mental
http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/compulsive-internet-use-a-mental-disorder-268328
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/571199
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080317/LIFE04/803170335/1035
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=3830&cn=66
http://apt.rcpsych.org/cgi/reprint/13/1/24
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Re: Internet Addiction: Does It Affect You?
